Avoca male lions

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Southern Avocas:

2020: 

January:
Uncharacteristically, there were no sightings of these lions this month.

We will now start referring in these reports to this coalition as the ‘southern’ Avoca males. Here is some background as to why: The Avoca males come from the Avoca pride that holds territory in the Timbavati Game Reserve, some 50kms from MalaMala. Currently there are two coalitions of males that have come from this pride. In 2015, the older two males, referred to here, left the pride six months before the three younger males. Today the two older brothers can be found in the southern parts of our reserve. They ventured south through MalaMala during their nomadic days and left a trail of devastation along the way. They killed two much-admired, dominant leopards. They were briefly (and prematurely) dominant over the Kambula pride and even sired cubs with the lionesses but the none of the litters survived. It wasn’t long before they were outcompeted by other coalitions and driven off. Young and fuelled by desire for a land of their own then moved south as the Gowrie males took control of the Kambula pride. They spent the following months in the south and slowly secured territory across much of the southern parts of MalaMala, with little in the way of competition. They are currently dominant of the Eyrefield pride with whom they have one surviving cub. The three younger males, referred to as the ‘northern’ Avoca males, have only ventured south over our northern boundary a few times. With the Gowrie males aging, and if history repeats itself, the younger Avoca males are expected to move south. The question then will be whether or not the two sets of Avoca males will cross paths and potentially reunite.

September:
These two male lions were seen for the first time in months and they are looking fantastic. In the months we have not seen these males they’ve picked up size and are taking on the appearance of two dominant male lions now. The sighting of these males was at the confluence of Ingwe donga and the Sand River where they had a kudu kill with members of the Sand River pride on the 26th. 

Sand River Pride - 2 adult females, 1 sub adult female, 1 cub (6 months), 5 cubs (1 month). One lioness was seen with the two Southern Avoca males at the confluence of Ingwe donga and the Sand River on the 26th with a kudu kill. On the 29th two lionesses and the 6-monthold cub were seen hunting impala at the confluence of the Tjellehanga and the Sand Rivers. 

October:
The two southern Avoca males were seen four times this month; three sightings took place on Charleston and one on Toulon. The three sightings on Charleston were on the 15 -17th when the two males and the Eyrefield pride were on a Cape buffalo bull kill south of Charleston River rocks. Both males were next seen on the 26th at Boomer’s crossing with the Sand River pride.

The Sand River Pride (Three adult females, one 8-month-old cub and five 4-monthold cubs) where seen at Boomers crossing on Toulon on the 26th and again on the 31st at Sands End crossing on the 31st. 

November:
These two males were seen on Toulon twice this month. The first sighting was of the both of them on the 14th when they were at the Sycamore fig and the second sighting was at Boomers crossing on the 18th when they were with the full complement of the Sand River pride with an impala kill.

Sand River Pride (3 adult females, 4 cubs) – boomers crossing 10th, three females and the 8-month-old cub were at Rocky crossing on the 14th boomers crossing with the southern Avoca males, and an impala kill on the 18th. 

December:
Like last month we only saw these two males twice. The first sighting was on Toulon at Sandy Crossing where both males were together on the 2nd. The other sighting of the two males was on the 9th when they were near Charleston Koppies. Judging from tracks in the area it appears they'd been seeking out and had possibly chased the four young Ndhzenga males. We suspect this was the case as we found tracks of four Ndhzenga males going west, west of the two Southern Avoca males.

Sand River Pride (3 adult females, 4 cubs) – were seen twice; Rocky Crossing (2nd) and at Lower Tjellahanga Crossing on the 21st.

2021:

January:
These two males were seen on the 17th in F-Bend open area with the Sand River Pride.

Sand River Pride (3 adult females, 4 cubs) – were in F-Bend open area with the two Southern Avoca males on the 17th

April:
The two Southern Avoca males were seen once this month when they were south of F-Bend Open Area with the Sand River pride on the 30th.

 SAND RIVER PRIDE (4 adult lionesses, 5 cubs) – on the 4th, the pride was in the Sand River south of Charleston Rock, and on the 30th, they were south of F-Bend Open Area with the two Southern Avoca males.

May:
The two Southern Avoca males had a buffalo kill in the Tjellehanga River west of Tjellehanga pans on the 15th. 

SAND RIVER PRIDE (4 adult lionesses, 5 cubs) – the first sighting of this pride was at Flat Rocks on the 7th, and the second was on the 14th when they had a young impala kill in the Sand River at Island crossing.

June:
The two Southern Avoca males were not seen this month. They appear to be spending more time to the east of Charleston in the Kruger National Park these days.

SAND RIVER PRIDE (3 adult lionesses, 5 cubs) – Calabash crossing (12th), Tjellahanga River south of Pumphouse crossing (17th). Reply